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PING Jill: butternut squash question
In another thread, jmcquown wrote:
Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast the squash at 350F for 1 hour until tender. Handle with an oven mitt; scoop the flesh from the shell with a spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. OK. I like cooking from scratch, so when I use butternut squash in a recipe, I'll start with a whole squash, and do more or less what you say above. However, I always run into two problems which make this a very labor-intensive and somewhat unpleasant task. First is, I can't seem to cut an uncooked squash in half. Maybe I just need a better knife? I am so not a knife expert. Also, I'm cheap. A friend of mine, an amateur chef and culinary knife hobbyist (I hasten to specify "culinary" so you won't think he's some psycho), considers a $40 knife to be a "cheap" knife. WTF? I've never spent more than maybe $15 max on a knife! Alright, I'm willing to spend $40 - can someone recommend a decent type of knife in that price range? One that will fairly easily cut a raw butternut squash in half? Second problem. The skin of the squash is so thin that there's no way to scrape out the flesh without taking half the skin with it. How do you do it?? There has to be a trick. I hope it doesn't involve leaving large amounts of edible squash behind. I'm about to break down and buy one of those bags of pre-peeled, de-seeded, cut-into-cubes squash - what's the world coming to? Thanks, Joyce -- There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't. |
#3
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PING Jill: butternut squash question
wrote in message
... In another thread, jmcquown wrote: Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast the squash at 350F for 1 hour until tender. Handle with an oven mitt; scoop the flesh from the shell with a spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. OK. I like cooking from scratch, so when I use butternut squash in a recipe, I'll start with a whole squash, and do more or less what you say above. However, I always run into two problems which make this a very labor-intensive and somewhat unpleasant task. First is, I can't seem to cut an uncooked squash in half. Maybe I just need a better knife? I am so not a knife expert. Also, I'm cheap. A friend of mine, an amateur chef and culinary knife hobbyist (I hasten to specify "culinary" so you won't think he's some psycho), considers a $40 knife to be a "cheap" knife. WTF? I've never spent more than maybe $15 max on a knife! Alright, I'm willing to spend $40 - can someone recommend a decent type of knife in that price range? One that will fairly easily cut a raw butternut squash in half? Second problem. The skin of the squash is so thin that there's no way to scrape out the flesh without taking half the skin with it. How do you do it?? There has to be a trick. I hope it doesn't involve leaving large amounts of edible squash behind. I'm about to break down and buy one of those bags of pre-peeled, de-seeded, cut-into-cubes squash - what's the world coming to? Thanks, Joyce Trust me, I'm cheap, too. I'm sure not spending $40+ for a single knife! I use a cleaver. Give it a good whack down the middle then use a rocking motion with your hand on top of the cleaver to cut all the way through. (If the squash has a woody stem on the end cut that off first.) I don't find the skin of butternut squash to be too terribly thin, but once it's roasted it *is* soft. The trick is to scoop out the flesh while the squash is still hot (hence the oven mitt). I just use a table spoon. The skin may tear a bit but I don't wind up with pieces of it in the soup. Nor does it leave a lot of the squash itself behind. I forgot to mention, a dollop of creme fraiche (or sour cream) is a nice addition after you've ladeled the soup into a bowl. This is a recipe I re-created after my Dad took me to lunch back in 1999 and was the soup du jour. I loved it so much I just had to figure out how to make it I don't think you could use pre-peeled chunks of squash for this recipe and have it come out as intended. Jill |
#4
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PING Jill: butternut squash question
"Yowie" wrote in message
... BTW, we call them butternut pumpkins, but I suspect we're talking about the same thing: http://fruit4you.net.au/store/images/butternut.jpg Yep, they're the same thing. Technically all hard-shelled squash could be called pumpkins and vice versa Jill |
#5
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PING Jill: butternut squash question
ceramic knives are great for slashing bread dough before baking.
-I gave up on cutting the squash, i poke holes in the skin with a fork. then i nuke it for 15/20 mins on high in the nuker... then pull skin off with fingers like anavacado... then cut and remove seeds. add olive oil at this oint if you want and sautee a bit, but i don't even bother with that anymore, Lee "Yowie" wrote in message ... In , typed: In another thread, jmcquown wrote: Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast the squash at 350F for 1 hour until tender. Handle with an oven mitt; scoop the flesh from the shell with a spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. OK. I like cooking from scratch, so when I use butternut squash in a recipe, I'll start with a whole squash, and do more or less what you say above. However, I always run into two problems which make this a very labor-intensive and somewhat unpleasant task. First is, I can't seem to cut an uncooked squash in half. Maybe I just need a better knife? I am so not a knife expert. Also, I'm cheap. A friend of mine, an amateur chef and culinary knife hobbyist (I hasten to specify "culinary" so you won't think he's some psycho), considers a $40 knife to be a "cheap" knife. WTF? I've never spent more than maybe $15 max on a knife! Alright, I'm willing to spend $40 - can someone recommend a decent type of knife in that price range? One that will fairly easily cut a raw butternut squash in half? Go to your local Asian store and get one of their cleavers or larger, heavier knives - the cleaver I have (from an Asian grocery place) will cut a butternut in half, no problem. It would probably cut through raw chicken bone, too, without a problem, although I don't *do* raw chicken at my place. I'd be mugged by two greedy theives of the furry variety before I could do anything useful (or at least, useful to humans) with it. For smaller knives, I like Victorinox brand. They ain't pretty, but they sure do a good job. But you can't beat a ceramic knife. They're awesome, and scary sharp. Although you probably won't find one for $40 - but hey, you might be lucky. Second problem. The skin of the squash is so thin that there's no way to scrape out the flesh without taking half the skin with it. How do you do it?? There has to be a trick. I hope it doesn't involve leaving large amounts of edible squash behind. Roast butternut peices with skin on. Then just smoosh the flesh off, leaving the skin behind (sorta like how you take the flesh of an avacado out, leaving the skin behind). The other option is of course just to use a potato peeler on it - which is what I do. BTW, we call them butternut pumpkins, but I suspect we're talking about the same thing: http://fruit4you.net.au/store/images/butternut.jpg I'm about to break down and buy one of those bags of pre-peeled, de-seeded, cut-into-cubes squash - what's the world coming to? Noooooooooo!!!!!. Yowie |
#6
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PING Jill: butternut squash question
"Stormmee" wrote in message
... ceramic knives are great for slashing bread dough before baking. -I gave up on cutting the squash, i poke holes in the skin with a fork. then i nuke it for 15/20 mins on high in the nuker... then pull skin off with fingers like anavacado... then cut and remove seeds. add olive oil at this oint if you want and sautee a bit, but i don't even bother with that anymore, Lee Except Joyce (and Yowie) were referring to the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup recipe I posted for Matthew. Nuking it just won't create the same taste (or texture) as roasting the split whole squash. Jill "Yowie" wrote in message ... In , typed: In another thread, jmcquown wrote: Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast the squash at 350F for 1 hour until tender. Handle with an oven mitt; scoop the flesh from the shell with a spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. OK. I like cooking from scratch, so when I use butternut squash in a recipe, I'll start with a whole squash, and do more or less what you say above. However, I always run into two problems which make this a very labor-intensive and somewhat unpleasant task. First is, I can't seem to cut an uncooked squash in half. Maybe I just need a better knife? I am so not a knife expert. Also, I'm cheap. A friend of mine, an amateur chef and culinary knife hobbyist (I hasten to specify "culinary" so you won't think he's some psycho), considers a $40 knife to be a "cheap" knife. WTF? I've never spent more than maybe $15 max on a knife! Alright, I'm willing to spend $40 - can someone recommend a decent type of knife in that price range? One that will fairly easily cut a raw butternut squash in half? Go to your local Asian store and get one of their cleavers or larger, heavier knives - the cleaver I have (from an Asian grocery place) will cut a butternut in half, no problem. It would probably cut through raw chicken bone, too, without a problem, although I don't *do* raw chicken at my place. I'd be mugged by two greedy theives of the furry variety before I could do anything useful (or at least, useful to humans) with it. For smaller knives, I like Victorinox brand. They ain't pretty, but they sure do a good job. But you can't beat a ceramic knife. They're awesome, and scary sharp. Although you probably won't find one for $40 - but hey, you might be lucky. Second problem. The skin of the squash is so thin that there's no way to scrape out the flesh without taking half the skin with it. How do you do it?? There has to be a trick. I hope it doesn't involve leaving large amounts of edible squash behind. Roast butternut peices with skin on. Then just smoosh the flesh off, leaving the skin behind (sorta like how you take the flesh of an avacado out, leaving the skin behind). The other option is of course just to use a potato peeler on it - which is what I do. BTW, we call them butternut pumpkins, but I suspect we're talking about the same thing: http://fruit4you.net.au/store/images/butternut.jpg I'm about to break down and buy one of those bags of pre-peeled, de-seeded, cut-into-cubes squash - what's the world coming to? Noooooooooo!!!!!. Yowie |
#7
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PING Jill: butternut squash question
have made similar recipes, the weight watchers sight has one very close to
what you posted. if you nuke then sautee there is very little discernable difference in taste or texture, ymmv, Lee "jmcquown" wrote in message ... "Stormmee" wrote in message ... ceramic knives are great for slashing bread dough before baking. -I gave up on cutting the squash, i poke holes in the skin with a fork. then i nuke it for 15/20 mins on high in the nuker... then pull skin off with fingers like anavacado... then cut and remove seeds. add olive oil at this oint if you want and sautee a bit, but i don't even bother with that anymore, Lee Except Joyce (and Yowie) were referring to the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup recipe I posted for Matthew. Nuking it just won't create the same taste (or texture) as roasting the split whole squash. Jill "Yowie" wrote in message ... In , typed: In another thread, jmcquown wrote: Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast the squash at 350F for 1 hour until tender. Handle with an oven mitt; scoop the flesh from the shell with a spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. OK. I like cooking from scratch, so when I use butternut squash in a recipe, I'll start with a whole squash, and do more or less what you say above. However, I always run into two problems which make this a very labor-intensive and somewhat unpleasant task. First is, I can't seem to cut an uncooked squash in half. Maybe I just need a better knife? I am so not a knife expert. Also, I'm cheap. A friend of mine, an amateur chef and culinary knife hobbyist (I hasten to specify "culinary" so you won't think he's some psycho), considers a $40 knife to be a "cheap" knife. WTF? I've never spent more than maybe $15 max on a knife! Alright, I'm willing to spend $40 - can someone recommend a decent type of knife in that price range? One that will fairly easily cut a raw butternut squash in half? Go to your local Asian store and get one of their cleavers or larger, heavier knives - the cleaver I have (from an Asian grocery place) will cut a butternut in half, no problem. It would probably cut through raw chicken bone, too, without a problem, although I don't *do* raw chicken at my place. I'd be mugged by two greedy theives of the furry variety before I could do anything useful (or at least, useful to humans) with it. For smaller knives, I like Victorinox brand. They ain't pretty, but they sure do a good job. But you can't beat a ceramic knife. They're awesome, and scary sharp. Although you probably won't find one for $40 - but hey, you might be lucky. Second problem. The skin of the squash is so thin that there's no way to scrape out the flesh without taking half the skin with it. How do you do it?? There has to be a trick. I hope it doesn't involve leaving large amounts of edible squash behind. Roast butternut peices with skin on. Then just smoosh the flesh off, leaving the skin behind (sorta like how you take the flesh of an avacado out, leaving the skin behind). The other option is of course just to use a potato peeler on it - which is what I do. BTW, we call them butternut pumpkins, but I suspect we're talking about the same thing: http://fruit4you.net.au/store/images/butternut.jpg I'm about to break down and buy one of those bags of pre-peeled, de-seeded, cut-into-cubes squash - what's the world coming to? Noooooooooo!!!!!. Yowie |
#8
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PING Jill: butternut squash question
"Stormmee" wrote in message
... have made similar recipes, the weight watchers sight has one very close to what you posted. if you nuke then sautee there is very little discernable difference in taste or texture, ymmv, Lee Not trying to start an argument. But this soup is a signature dish of mine and trust me, nuking is not a factor. It would definitely make a difference in the texture. Jill "jmcquown" wrote in message ... "Stormmee" wrote in message ... ceramic knives are great for slashing bread dough before baking. -I gave up on cutting the squash, i poke holes in the skin with a fork. then i nuke it for 15/20 mins on high in the nuker... then pull skin off with fingers like anavacado... then cut and remove seeds. add olive oil at this oint if you want and sautee a bit, but i don't even bother with that anymore, Lee Except Joyce (and Yowie) were referring to the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup recipe I posted for Matthew. Nuking it just won't create the same taste (or texture) as roasting the split whole squash. Jill "Yowie" wrote in message ... In , typed: In another thread, jmcquown wrote: Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast the squash at 350F for 1 hour until tender. Handle with an oven mitt; scoop the flesh from the shell with a spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. OK. I like cooking from scratch, so when I use butternut squash in a recipe, I'll start with a whole squash, and do more or less what you say above. However, I always run into two problems which make this a very labor-intensive and somewhat unpleasant task. First is, I can't seem to cut an uncooked squash in half. Maybe I just need a better knife? I am so not a knife expert. Also, I'm cheap. A friend of mine, an amateur chef and culinary knife hobbyist (I hasten to specify "culinary" so you won't think he's some psycho), considers a $40 knife to be a "cheap" knife. WTF? I've never spent more than maybe $15 max on a knife! Alright, I'm willing to spend $40 - can someone recommend a decent type of knife in that price range? One that will fairly easily cut a raw butternut squash in half? Go to your local Asian store and get one of their cleavers or larger, heavier knives - the cleaver I have (from an Asian grocery place) will cut a butternut in half, no problem. It would probably cut through raw chicken bone, too, without a problem, although I don't *do* raw chicken at my place. I'd be mugged by two greedy theives of the furry variety before I could do anything useful (or at least, useful to humans) with it. For smaller knives, I like Victorinox brand. They ain't pretty, but they sure do a good job. But you can't beat a ceramic knife. They're awesome, and scary sharp. Although you probably won't find one for $40 - but hey, you might be lucky. Second problem. The skin of the squash is so thin that there's no way to scrape out the flesh without taking half the skin with it. How do you do it?? There has to be a trick. I hope it doesn't involve leaving large amounts of edible squash behind. Roast butternut peices with skin on. Then just smoosh the flesh off, leaving the skin behind (sorta like how you take the flesh of an avacado out, leaving the skin behind). The other option is of course just to use a potato peeler on it - which is what I do. BTW, we call them butternut pumpkins, but I suspect we're talking about the same thing: http://fruit4you.net.au/store/images/butternut.jpg I'm about to break down and buy one of those bags of pre-peeled, de-seeded, cut-into-cubes squash - what's the world coming to? Noooooooooo!!!!!. Yowie |
#9
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PING Jill: butternut squash question
we can agree to diagree here, Lee
"jmcquown" wrote in message ... "Stormmee" wrote in message ... have made similar recipes, the weight watchers sight has one very close to what you posted. if you nuke then sautee there is very little discernable difference in taste or texture, ymmv, Lee Not trying to start an argument. But this soup is a signature dish of mine and trust me, nuking is not a factor. It would definitely make a difference in the texture. Jill "jmcquown" wrote in message ... "Stormmee" wrote in message ... ceramic knives are great for slashing bread dough before baking. -I gave up on cutting the squash, i poke holes in the skin with a fork. then i nuke it for 15/20 mins on high in the nuker... then pull skin off with fingers like anavacado... then cut and remove seeds. add olive oil at this oint if you want and sautee a bit, but i don't even bother with that anymore, Lee Except Joyce (and Yowie) were referring to the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup recipe I posted for Matthew. Nuking it just won't create the same taste (or texture) as roasting the split whole squash. Jill "Yowie" wrote in message ... In , typed: In another thread, jmcquown wrote: Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast the squash at 350F for 1 hour until tender. Handle with an oven mitt; scoop the flesh from the shell with a spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. OK. I like cooking from scratch, so when I use butternut squash in a recipe, I'll start with a whole squash, and do more or less what you say above. However, I always run into two problems which make this a very labor-intensive and somewhat unpleasant task. First is, I can't seem to cut an uncooked squash in half. Maybe I just need a better knife? I am so not a knife expert. Also, I'm cheap. A friend of mine, an amateur chef and culinary knife hobbyist (I hasten to specify "culinary" so you won't think he's some psycho), considers a $40 knife to be a "cheap" knife. WTF? I've never spent more than maybe $15 max on a knife! Alright, I'm willing to spend $40 - can someone recommend a decent type of knife in that price range? One that will fairly easily cut a raw butternut squash in half? Go to your local Asian store and get one of their cleavers or larger, heavier knives - the cleaver I have (from an Asian grocery place) will cut a butternut in half, no problem. It would probably cut through raw chicken bone, too, without a problem, although I don't *do* raw chicken at my place. I'd be mugged by two greedy theives of the furry variety before I could do anything useful (or at least, useful to humans) with it. For smaller knives, I like Victorinox brand. They ain't pretty, but they sure do a good job. But you can't beat a ceramic knife. They're awesome, and scary sharp. Although you probably won't find one for $40 - but hey, you might be lucky. Second problem. The skin of the squash is so thin that there's no way to scrape out the flesh without taking half the skin with it. How do you do it?? There has to be a trick. I hope it doesn't involve leaving large amounts of edible squash behind. Roast butternut peices with skin on. Then just smoosh the flesh off, leaving the skin behind (sorta like how you take the flesh of an avacado out, leaving the skin behind). The other option is of course just to use a potato peeler on it - which is what I do. BTW, we call them butternut pumpkins, but I suspect we're talking about the same thing: http://fruit4you.net.au/store/images/butternut.jpg I'm about to break down and buy one of those bags of pre-peeled, de-seeded, cut-into-cubes squash - what's the world coming to? Noooooooooo!!!!!. Yowie |
#10
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PING Jill: butternut squash question
any suqash will work just like the "zuke" bread, Lee
"hopitus" wrote in message ... On Aug 6, 1:18 am, "Yowie" wrote: , typed: In another thread, jmcquown wrote: Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast the squash at 350F for 1 hour until tender. Handle with an oven mitt; scoop the flesh from the shell with a spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. OK. I like cooking from scratch, so when I use butternut squash in a recipe, I'll start with a whole squash, and do more or less what you say above. However, I always run into two problems which make this a very labor-intensive and somewhat unpleasant task. First is, I can't seem to cut an uncooked squash in half. Maybe I just need a better knife? I am so not a knife expert. Also, I'm cheap. A friend of mine, an amateur chef and culinary knife hobbyist (I hasten to specify "culinary" so you won't think he's some psycho), considers a $40 knife to be a "cheap" knife. WTF? I've never spent more than maybe $15 max on a knife! Alright, I'm willing to spend $40 - can someone recommend a decent type of knife in that price range? One that will fairly easily cut a raw butternut squash in half? Go to your local Asian store and get one of their cleavers or larger, heavier knives - the cleaver I have (from an Asian grocery place) will cut a butternut in half, no problem. It would probably cut through raw chicken bone, too, without a problem, although I don't *do* raw chicken at my place. I'd be mugged by two greedy theives of the furry variety before I could do anything useful (or at least, useful to humans) with it. For smaller knives, I like Victorinox brand. They ain't pretty, but they sure do a good job. But you can't beat a ceramic knife. They're awesome, and scary sharp. Although you probably won't find one for $40 - but hey, you might be lucky. Second problem. The skin of the squash is so thin that there's no way to scrape out the flesh without taking half the skin with it. How do you do it?? There has to be a trick. I hope it doesn't involve leaving large amounts of edible squash behind. Roast butternut peices with skin on. Then just smoosh the flesh off, leaving the skin behind (sorta like how you take the flesh of an avacado out, leaving the skin behind). The other option is of course just to use a potato peeler on it - which is what I do. BTW, we call them butternut pumpkins, but I suspect we're talking about the same thing: http://fruit4you.net.au/store/images/butternut.jpg I'm about to break down and buy one of those bags of pre-peeled, de-seeded, cut-into-cubes squash - what's the world coming to? Noooooooooo!!!!!. Yowie Uh, I hate to bring this up, but one of our international friends here has already had a disaster with knives from Asian cutlery supply. What do you think is gonna happen when they start with *cleavers*? Just askin'. Jill is a great cook but I hate squash, ditto zucchini. Can't you make some kind of squash bread or cake, like how I learned to like zucchini, in sweet bread? |
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